The warden gets tough

Lackawanna County Prison finds itself entangled in another inmate-care controversy, this time involving a federal inmate who was stomped nearly to death by another inmate with a known history of violence.

The prison’s administration, led by warden Janine Donate, looked into the incident. Its only immediate and public action was to bar a local Catholic priest — one who had warned in writing earlier that the injured inmate was a target for violence — from prison property. Why? Well, they claim he had “pushed” a guard while being prevented from visiting to the inmate after the attack.

The County Prison board finally realized the folly of having the prison’s administration effectively investigate itself, and has requested a state probe of the incident.